


(Nothing But) Flowers

by terroruki



Category: Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (Video Game)
Genre: Crush at First Sight, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-26 23:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20398030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terroruki/pseuds/terroruki
Summary: Just a cute fic of Minamo being a normal cop and Rinko being a normal flower girl. No end of the world needed :)





	(Nothing But) Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> ACAB but i'll let minamo slide just this once

Rinko shakily raises her hands. Why here? Why  _ now? _ She was just about to close for the night when an ominous figure came into the shop and pulled out a knife. He has a mask on, but it doesn’t matter. The store is pitch black. A flower store, of all places, is the one he chose to rob. She knows thefts happened in this mall all the time, but when she first opened, she never expected it would happen to her. Recalling it now, how foolish.

“Take the money out of the cash register.” The robber points the gleaming knife in her direction, stabbing the air to emphasize this was a genuine threat. Rinko stays still except for her entire body, quietly trembling in fear.

“Now!” He snaps, and she can’t help but whimper and do as told. Her small amount of earnings for the day are placed down on the counter. Her shop has only been open for about a month, and business is almost non-existent. She’s the sole employee and the only one who tends for the flowers, giving them plenty of care and silly affirmations. Her plants were her only friends, and together, they couldn’t afford this loss.

Rinko often wonders if she could ever have the courage to stand up for herself, to not acquiesce in the will of anyone slightly intimidates her. But at this moment, she knows it could never be possible. On the inside, she is the same broken and scared little girl she was on the middle school playground. And it’s all her fault. She lets them. The thought repeats over and over in her mind as the robber collects the cash.  _ Coward Coward Coward.  _ He gives her a mocking thanks before heading to the door. And like that, he’ll slip away into the night, and she’ll be powerless. Not just now, but forever.

“Stop right there!” A voice barks through the darkness, followed by the sound of a whistle. All Rinko can outline is a curvy woman pointing an accusative finger at the criminal. 

“Shit.” She hears the robber curse under his breath. He sprints to the back exit, not knowing Rinko had already locked it while closing for the night. He frantically pulls the door handles, but they remain shut.

“This is the police! Dontcha try to outrun me.” The woman shouts again. Hearing that, Rinko lets out a sigh of relief. She ducks under the counter, waiting for this to all be over, for the thief to be apprehended, and for justice to be restored. The sound of footsteps scurrying around trying to escape is accompanied by the more controlled way the officer moves her body. Someone falls to the ground, but she can’t see who from where she’s sitting. When she peaks her head to see, the masked man is looking down at the woman who winces in pain. Wait, this story is all wrong. She is supposed to save, not be stabbed. If this ended up in the news, customers would avoid her store now more than ever. She’d have to close down permanently.

But that’s selfish, she thinks. So, so selfish of her to consider sales before this woman’s safety. Rinko is usually compassionate. Is this who she truly is during times of peril?

“New to the job, are you missy?” His harsh voice cuts through her own thoughts. The burglar crouches down and grabs the woman’s face. “What to do with you now, huh?” Adrenaline floods her body, and before she can process what’s happening, there’s a deafening crash. Pieces of a shattered clay pot are strewn across the floor. The man turns to her, disoriented. He drops to his knees before slumping over completely. Horrified, Rinko scampers away.

“Is he… dead?” She whispers so softly she can barely hear her own voice. The officer groans again and tries to get up. “Oh!” She helps her stand, and in the scarce light she can see blood from the cop’s stomach pooling through her shirt. If she was even a cop at all. Their scuffle had been little proof of her ability.

“Jeez, ya really saved my skin.” She covers her stab wound with one hand to stop the bleeding and uses the other one to rub the back of her neck sheepishly. Only when Rinko lets out a verbal sob does she realize the traumatized florist has been crying. The officer gently places her hands on Rinko’s cheeks and wipes the tears from her eyes.

“Oh sweetie, are ya okay?” Rinko shakes her head. This must be a nightmare. Too much is happening all at once. The lights flicker on, and they both turn to discover another policeman has entered the store. He’s middle-aged with greyish-brown hair. Not like it matters. A woman is bleeding, and a man may have just died from a bludgeon to the head.

“Officer Setouchi? Are you all right?” On edge, the two jump at the sound of another’s voice. The woman known as Setouchi lets out a sign.

“Gosh, Jerry. Don’t go scarin’ me like that.” Maybe it’s the hysteria, but Rinko can’t help but giggle a little. Her accent was adorable. She is finally able to look at her. Officer Setouchi has dark brown hair pulled in a ponytail and vibrant green eyes. Even though she’s wounded, her face still looks friendly and comforting. And Rinko’s first impressions in the dark had been right. Her body is beautiful. She can stare for a second before the other officer approaches them. He touches the criminal with his foot. He doesn’t ask questions but:

“Should we call backup?” Ms. Setouchi reaches down to feel the man’s wrist for a pulse. Rinko holds her breath.

“He’s alive, just dazed.” She tells her partner. The male cop nods and says something into his radio.

-

Before she knows it, police and paramedics are flooding her little flower shop, asking her dozens of questions. It’s midnight. She’s exhausted and should have gone home five hours ago. The shock blanket on her shoulders makes her even more sleepy as her eyelids close.

“Miss Susukino.” A familiar voice wakes her. Setouchi’s wounds are bandaged as she has a fresh shirt on. She looks embarrassed, which is understandable considering a feeble florist did her job for her.

“Thanks again for savin’ me back there. Who knows what that creep woulda done… Congrats on bein’ the hero of the day!” She chuckles nervously, but Rinko doesn’t feel like a hero. If it wasn’t for the officer, she wouldn’t have had the courage to attack him in the first place. She’s just relieved the beautiful woman is okay. He could easily have done worse, but the cut seemed to be shallow.

“It- it’s quite alright.” Rinko rubs her hands together in anxiety. They both feel awkward. Everything that had happened is settling in.

“Dontcha worry. We’ll have ya home soon.” Now  _ that  _ is excellent news. Seeing how worn down she is, the officer places a hand on her shoulder. Her touch is reassuring, and Rink can’t help but pull her into a hug. She lets out a surprised yelp at the sudden embrace but doesn’t push her away. They stand there for a while, holding each other before it becomes uncomfortable. Rinko has always been naïve about people’s personal space, but this is the first time she has hugged a total stranger. But the woman is warm and her body is soft. You can’t get this kind of comfort from a man. They pull away.

“So many people in the store, I kind of wish someone would buy something.” She mumbles, half joking. The officer’s eyes widen.

“Oh! You’re right!”

“No, I didn’t mean you actually had to-” Setouchi is already heading over to the bouquets. It’s clear she’s stubborn. She returns with a few daisies in her hand. 

“These please!” She announces enthusiastically, and Rinko smiles for the first time all night. Still, there are tons of other officers around them. It can hardly count as a normal sale.

“That’ll be 2000 yen, Officer Setouchi.” She beams. The cop’s face turns pink.

“Please, ya can call me Minamo.” She waves it off and pulls out her wallet. “Only 2000? That seems pretty cheap.” It is Rinko’s turn to blush.

“I gave you a discount since daisies are my favorite too.” Becoming shy, she looks down. She was never that great with customer service. Minamo hands her 3000 anyway. “Th-thank you.”

“Ya ready to go?” Confused, Rinko blinks. “Heh, they have assigned me to drive you home. Is that okay? My injuries aren’t too bad, and it’s the least I can do.”

“Okay!” Rinko enthusiastically nods. Being alone in a car with a man isn’t something she wants to do right now, so riding with Minamo is perfect.

“You’re gonna need this.” She hands her a helmet.

“Huh?”

-

The sultry summer air rushes past them. Riding on a motorcycle is like something she’s never experienced before. Like she’s flying. The city lights are beautiful this time of night, and with barely any cars around, it is oddly peaceful. She clings to Minamo’s waist. Not because she fears falling off, but because the woman is extremely huggable. She’ll probably never get this opportunity again. Unless they start dating or get married or something... Either way, Rinko for sure wants to do this again. Despite her cute appearance, she loves roller coasters and being somewhat of a daredevil.

When they arrive at her apartment, she almost doesn’t want to go in. She would rather ride with Officer Setouchi for another hour. They could go to the outskirts of the city and stare up at the stars… Okay, she is definitely getting ahead of herself.

“Here ya go!” Minamo turns around to smile at her. Rinko reluctantly hops off of the bike and hands back her helmet. Ignoring her childish fantasies of running away with this person she barely knows, one thing is still bothering her.

“Officer Setouchi... may I ask you a question?”

“Uh, okay, sure!” Their voices are wildly different. Rinko has always been soft-spoken and too formal. She somewhat envies Minamo’s outgoing, prideful nature.

“What happened when that man attacked you?” It was dark, but the streetlight illuminated the officer’s features to show a look of shock. She hadn’t expected Rinko to be that forward.

“Well, I-” She pauses, trying to find the best words to explain it. But Rinko can tell it has been vexing her as well. “I guess I got scared. I became a police officer to protect people, not hurt people. Even if they’re a bad guy, I still hesitate.” Rinko nods.

“That makes sense.” Minamo raises an eyebrow.

“It does?”

“I felt horrible about hitting that man on the head, even when he was stealing the few savings I had. I don’t know why.” There’s a silence as neither of them know what to say. “Your flowers!” Rinko notices.

“Don’t worry I left ‘em down at my dad’s bento shop in the mall.” She smiles. Her father owns a restaurant in the same shopping center? She may have heard of it.

“The one near the jewelry store?”

“That’s the one!”

“I might… come down there.” She thinks aloud.

“Ya should! He’s got brilliant stuff. All kinda sushi and-”

“For you, I mean.” She says louder, cutting her off on accident. Minamo looks surprised, but not displeased. 

“Oh! Yeah, you could do that too. Or I could just like, give ya my number.” She laughs nervously again but sustains eye contact.

“I would like that very much.” Rinko smiles. They share a look, and it seems to heal everything from that night. She falls asleep, heart fluttering.


End file.
